"There is one man who will not accept the decision of the USGA regarding the form and make of golf clubs, but will go on playing with his own clubs. This man is Dr. J.H. Dwight, of Des Moines [Iowa]."

In February 1911, The Golfers Magazine wrote about three new clubs made by Dr. Dwight--his mid-iron, mashie, and putter. All three had the shaft directly behind where the ball would be hit for the purpose of eliminating pulling or slicing. The only thing that set them apart from each other was the loft/angle of the face.

According to the article, "Dr. Dwight is a firm believer that the present make of clubs is an architectural monstrosity. He thinks that it would be the same principle if the horse were hitched to the side of the carriage instead of infront of it and that the only possible solution of the golf club problem is a center-shafted straight-lined club, where the ball, the shaft and the weight of will all be in the same line."

This particular club is stamped "Dwight's Directional Club / Des Moines IA / Pat App'd For" on the 35 3/4" original hickory shaft. The 3 3/4" head is clean, with the face still clearly dimpled and the original leather grip is in tact. Due to the fact the club was non-confirming to begin with, the golf world had practically no interest in the club. Combined with the unconventional design yet general ineffectiveness, few examples remain! While a valiant idea, this putter did not turn Des Moines into the next St. Andrews of clubmaking after all.

TCA2 V2 p221